Topics

Mike Ditka coached the Bears to their only Super Bowl championship during the 1985 season, a 46-10 victory over the New England Patriots in New Orleans on Jan. 26, 1986. A standout tight end and defensive lineman at the University of Pittsburgh, he was a first-round draft pick by the Bears in 1961. Ditka revolutionized the position of tight end with his pass-catching ability and helped lead the Bears to the 1963 championship, but he clashed with Bears owner and coach George Halas. He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967 and finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys. He was named coach of the Bears in 1982 and finished 3-6 in the strike-shortened season. Ditka led the Bears to Super Bowl XX after a 15-1 regular season. Ditka was fired after the 1992 season and went on to coach the New Orleans Saints for three years. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the NFL Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka is also known for his work with NFL veterans, a string of commercials, his mustache and a co-starring turn in the film "Kicking and Screaming."

Related "Mike Ditka" Articles

The numbers tell quite a story about Gordon "Gordie" Gillespie: 2,402 coaching wins in three sports over 61 years, four national titles in college baseball, five state titles in high school football.
But Gillespie, who died at age 88 at his...

Ronnie Bull gazes at his 1962 NFL Rookie of the Year trophy and notices a few cracks and loose parts after all these years.
But the former first-round pick of the Bears out of Baylor still cherishes the memories of his 10 years in pro football, which...

Roslyn Road Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization is hosting a Havana Nights-themed fundraiser on Feb. 28 to help finance school improvements.
The event, which will be held at the Biltmore Country Club at 160 Biltmore Drive in Barrington, is...

If the Bears do as well as John Fox did in his opening salvos, it will be a pretty quick turnaround.
The man who oversaw rapid improvements in previous head coaching stops in Carolina and Denver was calm, confident and offered a healthy dose of humor...

There have been numerous stories about the 1985 Chicago Bears, but none quite like this.
The upcoming edition of “Real Sports” (9 p.m. Tuesday, HBO) will feature a report by Bryant Gumbel that chronicles the players on that team using excessive...

The Chicago Bears went with experience when they hired John Fox on Friday to help restore the franchise to respectability. On Monday at Halas Hall, Fox was introduced as the franchise's 15th head coach and the first in club history with previous...

Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett will have to change his weekend plans.
On Monday, Bennett was informed that he had been selected to play in the Pro Bowl, chosen as a replacement to supplant Rob Gronkowski in the league’s all-star exhibition....

Not all members of the 1985 Bears corroborate the tales of widespread abuse of painkillers and other drugs as chronicled in this week's "Real Sports" on HBO.
Former Bears coach Mike Ditka and quarterback Jim McMahon, among others, said the...

Filming is currently underway for a new feature-length documentary on the 1985 Super Bowl-Champion Chicago Bears. "'85: The Untold Story Of The Greatest Team In Pro Football History" is slated for release this fall, coinciding with the 30th...

Legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka seems to have softened.
Or least he has seemingly changed his stance on the lawsuit some of his former players brought against the National Football League alleging the indiscriminate dispensing of narcotic...

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday tried to make the case he's done on a good job on crime during his four years in office while acknowledging that many Chicagoans don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods.
The mayor's speech on public safety came as...

It's an old trick but it works: Put a bushy mustache on anyone's face and they transform into Mike Ditka.
OK, almost anyone. Some people need a pair of sunglasses and a throwback sweater to complete the look.
But Jamie Noah didn't need to add much...

With yet another season slipping away, Bears fans probably could use a dose of Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers.
It is available in multiple forms. At 9 p.m. Friday, the NFL Network's "A Football Life" series examines the two Hall of Famers whose...

Ernie Accorsi started as a sportswriter, which isn't the main reason he's the right consultant for the Bears. He began his NFL career in public relations for the Baltimore Colts, where Johnny Unitas was the quarterback.
When he became general manager...

Look around the Soldier Field kitty litter on Thursday night, and you’ll see similarities between the Bears and Cowboys:
*Big-armed quarterbacks likely making the big mistake in the big moment.
*Head coaches on the sideline that make you wonder how they...

John Fox hoisted the Lamar Hunt trophy over his head a year ago Sunday in Denver, as orange, blue and white confetti fluttered in the mile-high air. His team had just surged to an AFC championship and a Super Bowl berth. The crowd roared.
Soldier Field...

Is there any chance Virginia McCaskey once gave Rex Ryan a Christmas gift?
I ask because the Bears always lean toward hiring based on previous connections, and being Buddy Ryan’s son counts as a previous connection -- previous connection to the...

One thing seems certain: Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson attended a dinner together in 1988, and there was some smack-talking going on, but from there the memories of exactly what happened at a Chicago restaurant get a little fuzzy.
Three men -- former...